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Art Conservation - Treatment Stream

Testimonials

"The M.A.C. program is challenging, engaging, and exciting. It provides students with a strong foundation of conservation skills and science that is built upon during two summer internships and a research project. I enjoyed working alongside such talented peers and knowledgeable, supportive instructors and staff. ”

Program Contact

Program Overview

Art conservation is an exciting and challenging multidisciplinary field involving the examination, interpretation, analysis and conservation of cultural, historic and artistic objects.

Professional conservators must rely on their knowledge of both the humanities and the sciences to understand the creation and production of material culture in past and present contexts and to ensure its preservation for the future.

Queen’s University offers Canada’s only art conservation Master’s degree program. Students may specialize in one of the three following options: the treatment of artifacts, paintings, or paper, leading to a career in conservation practice.

Our students have the opportunity to work in any one of the following specialties:

Conservation of paintings

Conservation of artifacts

Conservation of paper, photographic materials and new media.

Students in the treatment streams may have opportunities to work with humanities, science, and engineering departments at Queen’s and undertake projects with museums, galleries, archives, the Canadian Conservation Institute, and industrial partners. Students also have travel opportunities through 12- week internships across the globe.

Career paths – employment opportunities

Graduates from the treatment streams go on to careers in conservation laboratories in art galleries, museums, archives, or independent conservation studios.

Degree Offered/Method of Completion

Master of Art Conservation (M.A.C.): 2 years

Four terms of theoretical and practical study on campus, advanced lecture courses, lab work in conservation of heritage objects, research project, and two 12-week off campus summer internships.

Numbers admitted: 12 per year.

Fields of study and Supervisors

Initial contact should be made with the department’s graduate assistant (artcon@queensu.ca) before getting in touch with a potential supervisor.

Funding Information

Funding is available through Queen’s Graduate Awards and other internal awards. Some students may qualify for teaching assistantships in their second year.

Students are encouraged to apply for external funding such as NSERC, SSHRC and OGS. Entering graduate students who win federal government tri-council awards are automatically provided a $5,000 top-up award by Queen’s.

Academic Prerequisites

Four year Honours bachelor degree in humanities, sciences or engineering with a minimum B+ average (or equivalent).

Three terms of chemistry at the university level, including at least one term of organic chemistry, all courses preferably with a laboratory component.

Applicants with an undergraduate degree in the humanities must have a minimum of five full-year courses in art history, ethnology, archaeology, or equivalent.

Applicants with a science or engineering undergraduate degree must have a minimum of two full year courses in art history, ethnology, archaeology, or equivalent.

Other Requirements

Good visual sensitivity and manual skills.

Experience in conservation is highly recommended.

For international students, if required, a minimum TOEFL total score of 600 (paper-based) or TOEFL iBT minimum scores of: writing (24/30); speaking (22/30); reading (22/30); listening (20/30), for a total of 88/120.

Applicants offered an admissions interview will be required to present a portfolio of their work.

Key Dates and Deadlines

Application Deadline: January 15 of each year. Interviews are held in March